New Zealand: Grievance Man v. Bureaucracy

New Zealand is not the first nation to
discover that the material blessings of the welfare state come wrapped
in red tape.

Trying to deal with their burgeoning bureaucracy* crack New
Zealanders, is "like boring a hole through treacle." Now the
nation is considering a solution to government regimentation and
pettifoggery. Last week, after a year of deliberation, New Zealand was
pressing ahead with plans for a new, independent government official
who will act as a civic watchdog in much the same fashion as the famed,
153-year-old Swedish institution known as the ombudsman, or grievance
man.